HORSEPOWER WARNS OF IMPENDING DISASTER FOR NYS EQUINES AND SUPPORTING INDUSTRIES

June 10, 2026

Honorable Kathleen Hochul Governor State of New York

New York State Capitol Bldg.

Albany, NY 12224

Dear Governor Hochul, I am writing with some urgency today about the impending convergence of cruelty and contagion and why we need to finally enforce the anti-slaughter and auction house laws we put on the books in the last several years. We cannot afford to ignore this impending crisis. For the last year, a quiet biosecurity crisis has been unfolding in the American South, and its ripples are about to hit New York and Michigan.

It is the re-emergence of the New World screwworm (NWS) in Texas and New Mexico, a happenstance that represents the first domestic outbreak of this devastating pest in more than sixty years. While the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has taken the necessary precautionary step of suspending horse and livestock exports to Mexico to contain the spread, this federal intervention has triggered an immediate, dangerous pivot in the underground horse slaughter pipeline as intelligence from southern auction houses and kill buyers reveals they are already re-routing their trucks toward northern hubs, specifically New York and Michigan.

While we applauded your willingness to champion and sign into law several bills to cut off New York’s Slaughter pipeline to Canada and hold auction houses accountable for their role in the pipeline, state agencies disappointingly, have done nothing to enforce the laws. As a result, we are potentially facing an impending economic and humanitarian calamity. The Saratoga racing season is upon us, and an outbreak could be devastating.

To understand the severity of this threat, one must look at the biology of the New World screwworm. Unlike common bluebottle blowflies, whose larvae feed harmlessly on dead tissue, screwworm larvae are obligate parasites that eat exclusively living flesh. When a female fly deposits eggs into a minor body opening or wound—whether a tick bite, a castration cut, a newborn calf’s umbilicus, or a horse’s nasal cavity—the consequences are horrific. The larvae utilize hook-like mouthparts and backward pointing spines to burrow deeper into the living tissue, enlarging the wound in a manner resembling a screw turning into wood. Left untreated, a simple scratch transforms into a massive, agonizing infestation that breeds systemic infection and death. This is not merely a localized farming issue; it is a game-changing threat to cattle ranchers, horse enthusiasts, companion animal owners, and wildlife advocates alike.

The impending influx of high-risk, highly stressed transit horses into New York will expose the severe lack of oversight within our own borders. For years, advocates have worked tirelessly to pass legislative protections governing horse auctions and halting travel through the state to Canadian slaughterhouses. Yet, multiple and consistent reports highlight that NY’s most notorious auction house continues to operate with flagrant disregard for the law. Reports show they are actively selling sick and severely injured horses, catering openly to known kill buyers, and failing to post the legally mandated consumer and welfare signage. We have also flagged, many times, USDA reports of a prolific kill buyer who continues to use New York Highways to transport said auction horses to Canada. These are not hidden, subtle infractions; they are bold, public violations of state laws that occur because the operators know they face no real consequences.

Up to this point, our warnings to state regulators have been met with bureaucratic inertia and a frustrating runaround from agencies pointing fingers at one another regarding who is ultimately responsible for enforcement. However, the convergence of the screwworm outbreak and continued auction and transporter non-compliance removes any excuse for passive governance. Allowing crowded, unmonitored trailers of horses from infected regions to pass through New York is an open invitation for a biosecurity disaster that could devastate our rural economy and racing industry.

Out-of-sight can no longer mean out-of-mind for our state leadership. New York has clear, enforceable laws on the books designed to monitor horse health, trace livestock movement, and penalize predatory buyers. We do not need new legislation; we need immediate, aggressive executive enforcement. State regulators must step out of their offices, descend upon non-compliant auctions, and shut down the gaps in our defense by stopping trucks from using our highways enroute to Canada slaughterhouses.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any follow up questions as I am working with a team monitoring the crisis in Texas and have their ear to ground about the re-routing of slaughter trucks.

Best, Karin Spencer, Founder and President WWW.HORSEPWR.ORG